200 days until the Grand Final!

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eurovision.tv

Posted 25 October, 2016, 6:00

There are just two hundred days to go until the Grand Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. The competition will be held in Kyiv's International Exhibition Centre next May. Last week the EBU met with the Host Broadcaster NTU as well as representatives from the City of Kyiv to discuss the next steps in the organisation of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest.

Staging the Eurovision Song Contest is a challenge for any Host Broadcaster and involves rigid deadlines and key milestones that need to be met, 2017 is no exception. Next month a Reference Group meeting will take place in Kyiv where specific action points will be agreed with Host Broadcaster NTU. The Reference Group is the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest and the group that takes key decisions about the format of the show.

Last week NTU launched a tender process for the theme artwork for the 2017 show. Traditionally this is unveiled at the Semi-Final Allocation Draw which takes place each January. NTU has also began work on the creative concepts for the live broadcast which includes the stage design. Only when the stage design has been signed off will tickets for the shows go on sale. In the coming weeks the list of participants will be released alongside the publication of the rules.

The Grand Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday 13th May 2017 with the semi-finals being held on Tuesday 9th May and Thursday 11th May. With 200 days to go, the clock is ticking.